


Diamonds Aren’t A Girl’s Best Friend

by jenunjen96816



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-01 03:18:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenunjen96816/pseuds/jenunjen96816
Summary: Liz and Samar go undercover to break up a diamond smuggling ring, and in the process find something more priceless than the most precious gem.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short story that takes place in the canonical world of Blacklist, but I have changed/ignored a few things that happen in the actual show to make this story work (but it’s still the same world, not AU). Also, I reference a few things I don’t know much about (like diamonds and diamond mining), but the references are just there to set context and help drive the story.
> 
> Most importantly – I thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Cameron Hall was a smuggler. An extraordinary smuggler, actually – one of the best in the world. Her wife, Taylor Priestly, who had also been an extraordinary smuggler, and her business partner, had died in a shootout with law enforcement a year ago. Heartbroken, Cameron had initially thought about dropping everything, taking the money she and Taylor had made together and retiring in Bali, which had been Taylor’s favorite place on earth, and where the two of them would getaway between jobs. Instead of packing it in, though, sadness had turned into determination. Cameron had kept going with the business, and had in fact increased the profits by expanded the offerings, which was why she and her newly acquired security detail were now walking into Giovanni’s, an upscale restaurant in the lower west side of D.C. It was empty except for the owner and two occupants, who she spotted sitting down at the far end of the room.

“Cameron”, Reddington called out. He was sitting at a table, Dembe standing behind him. “Please – join us”, he said, and motioned to a chair. “Your entourage can have a seat at the bar”, he said, pointing to the bar counter on the side of the room. “Gio!” Raymond called to the man behind the bar. “A round for these fine folks, on me.”

Cameron looked at Reddington for a moment, then nodded at her security detail, and they headed for the bar. Then she turned back to Reddington, smiled politely and walked over. “Hello Raymond”, she said, as she took a seat.

“Drink?” Raymond asked, holding up a bottle of wine.

“Sure.”

“So, what’s it been, a couple years?” Raymond said cordially as he poured. “Dubai, if memory serves me correctly.”

“Something like that”, Cameron responded.

Reddington looked at Cameron for a moment, then raised his glass. “My condolences regarding Taylor.”

“Thank you”, Cameron said, taking a drink.

Raymond smiled solemnly, then said, “I see you’ve picked up some new friends since the last time I saw you”, he said, motioning to the bar. “Last time it was just you and Taylor.”

“Business is expanding”, Cameron said by way of explanation.

“Which is why I called you here”, Raymond said. “Look, Cameron, I’m going to get right to the point. I heard through the grapevine that you’ve recently expanded your offerings to include diamonds.”

“You heard correctly”, Cameron said. “And it’s quite profitable. Don’t know why I didn’t get into it sooner.”

“Don’t”, Reddington said, staring straight at Cameron.

“Excuse me?” Cameron said.

“Stay out of the diamond smuggling business, Cameron.” Reddington said.

“And why should I do that?”

“Because I’m telling you to”, Reddington said firmly. “You’re doing just fine already, and with Taylor gone, that’s more money for you.” At that Cameron glared at Reddington, who said, “Look – I don’t mean anything bad by that, but all I’m saying is that you’re making plenty of money right now, and blood diamonds are an ugly business.”

“You can always make more money, Raymond. Plus, I have a crew to feed now.”

“You don’t need them. It was just you and Taylor before, and you did just fine”, Reddington said. “You can still stay in business and do it all by yourself. Scale back your jobs if you have to. You can afford to. A smuggler of your expertise, one good job would set you flush with cash for a year. You could do one job a year and then spend the rest of your time at that lovely ocean villa in Bali that Taylor loved so much.” He paused for a moment and stared at Cameron, then said, “Don’t get into blood diamonds. You’ve got your hands in guns, textiles, marijuana, and plenty of other stuff, and that’s fine. Plenty of business without barking up that blood diamond tree.”

“And why do you care so much, what tree I bark up?” Cameron asked.

“I care, Cameron, because someone I care about very much is very against diamond smuggling”, Reddington said. “Look, Cameron – I know Taylor never touched diamonds, and I know she loved them, but she never smuggled them. She knew the ugliness surrounding that business.”

“We’re criminals, Raymond”, Cameron said. “The criminal world is ugly.”

“Yes, we are criminals, but that doesn’t mean we can’t operate without honor”, Reddington said. He stared at Cameron and then said, “Don’t dishonor Taylor’s memory by going into blood diamonds.”

“She was the conscience of our partnership, not me”, Cameron said.

“But still, Cameron, you're not without a heart.”

“You’re right. Taylor would have never done it.” Cameron said. She paused for a moment and Reddington thought he saw the smallest tear form in Cameron’s eye. “God, I miss her”, she said. She paused for another moment, and then said, “But the business is better with me leading it, because I’ve got the will to do what she wouldn’t.”

“Cameron – you don’t need to do this”, Reddington said again. “No amount of blood diamonds is going to bring Taylor back.”

“Maybe not, but if I can’t have her, then maybe I can have the thing she loved most to remember her by.”

“Then buy some at a jewelry store. You’ve got plenty of money. Stay away from blood diamonds, Cameron”, Reddington said, warning in his voice.

Cameron stared at Reddington for a moment and then said, “You know, Raymond – as far as I’m concerned, money is money, and how I make my money is of no concern to you.”

“Cameron”, Reddington said. “We go back. We’ve done work together. I always thought of you and Taylor as just a happy couple, making their way through life and enjoying it while they did”, Reddington said. He stared back at Cameron for a moment, then said, “What happened to you?”

“Reality happened”, Cameron said. “That happy girl is gone. I’m in it for the power and money now.” She stared at Reddington for a moment and then stood up. “And by the way, I’m not sure if I should be taking business advice from you. I heard you’re a bit down on your luck these days.” She turned to leave and then turned back. “Let me know if I can get you a rock. I’ll even wipe the ‘blood’ off of it for you”, she said, then smiled slightly, turned around again, motioned to her security detail, and they all exited the restaurant.

When they were gone, Dembe said. “You didn’t have to do that for me, Raymond, but thank you for trying.”

“Hmmmm…” Reddington said, his mind turning on what to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mr. Reddington has a favor to ask of us”, Cooper said to the team who were assembled in the Post Office.

“Where’s Dembe?” Liz asked Reddington, who was with the group.

“He’s waiting in the car. I purposely left him out of this meeting”, Reddington said.

“Why?” Samar asked.

“Because I have a favor to ask of you, and that favor is actually on Dembe’s behalf, even though he doesn’t know it”, Reddington said.

“What are you talking about?” Ressler asked.

“Dembe’s a proud man who doesn’t like asking for help. He didn’t even want to ask me", Reddington said.

“So, Dembe doesn’t know that you’re talking to us?” Cooper asked.

“No”, Reddington said.

“So, what’s the favor?” Aram asked.

“Cameron Hall”, Reddington said, and motioned to Aram, who started typing on his computer. “She’s a smuggler. Guns, textiles, contraband, whatever someone needs. For over a decade she worked with a partner named Taylor Priestly. They were partners in more ways than one. Cameron and Taylor were married. Anyway, Taylor was killed last year in a shootout with MI5. She and Cameron were trying to smuggle guns from England into Ireland for the IRA, and MI5 caught them at the border. Cameron escaped, and she’s kept on with the business. In fact, she’s expanded the business into diamond smuggling, which her now-deceased wife would have never gotten into, and that’s where I need your help.

“Blood diamonds”, Liz said.

“Exactly” Reddington said.

“There she is”, Aram said. A tall, attractive woman in her mid-30s with long dirty blonde hair appeared onscreen.

“That’s her”, Reddington said. “Now, I’ve known Cameron for years. I knew Taylor as well. And, I don’t often interfere in another person’s business, especially when they’ve done good work for me in the past, but when I found out that Cameron was expanding into smuggling blood diamonds-”

“Dembe can’t like that”, Samar said.

“Precisely”, Reddington said. “Like many brought up in Africa, blood diamonds conjure up nasty memories of conflict, of which Dembe has plenty. Anyway, Dembe mentioned his dislike of Cameron getting into the blood diamond smuggling business to me, which I interpreted as his way of asking me to get her to stop.”

“So why don’t you just tell her to stop?” Ressler asked.

“Well, I tried that, and she refused”, Reddington said.

“Wait – she wouldn’t listen to you?” Aram asked, astounded. Who doesn’t listen when God speaks?

“Well, with things are the way they are, my clout, as it may be, is not currently what it once was. Plus, Cameron is…shall we say…different these days. Taylor was always more of the conscience of their two-woman operation, but ever since she died, Cameron has become more focused on power and money. She’s hired a security detail and gotten into blood diamonds and who knows what else.”

“But why are you asking us for help? Not that I condone what I’m going to say next, but why don’t you just…you know...take care of her yourself…?” Samar asked.

“Because I don’t want her dead, Agent Navabi”, Reddington said. “I just want her to stop her foray into the blood diamond business. Cameron is a good person at heart who lost her wife, and now she’s looking for a way to compensate, and she thinks that expanding the business into blood diamonds is going to help.”

“So, what do you need from us?” Cooper asked.

“I want you to infiltrate her smuggling operation and then bust her. Perhaps cooling her heels in a cell will get her to reconsider her latest business expansion”, Reddington said.

“What are we going to bust her for?”

“Smuggling diamonds, I would assume”, Reddington said and smiled.

“So, how are we going to do this?” Liz asked.

“Cameron is going to send someone to steal the diamond collection that is currently on display at the Georgetown University Museum tonight. We get there first, take it, then turn it over to her, thereby gaining her trust”, Reddington said. “Then you will offer to run point on her next blood diamond smuggling job, and then we can net her.”

“So, who’s going undercover?” Aram asked.

Reddington looked at the group, then said, “You two”, pointing to Liz and Samar.

“Us?” Liz asked.

“Why us?” Samar asked.

“Did you know, studies show that trust is positively correlated to familiarity?” Reddington asked the room. “People are more likely to trust what they can relate to. We need to gain Cameron’s trust as quickly as possible, and the quickest way to do that is to present her with a scenario with which she is familiar.”

“I see”, Liz said. “You think Samar and I should go in undercover together, as a couple.”

“And that Cameron will relate to us as criminal business partners who are also lovers”, Samar said.

“Exactly”, Reddington said. “She will see what she once had with Taylor in you two, and be predisposed to trust you.”

“What was Taylor like?” Liz asked, trying to get information so she could start formulating a profile.

“She was the happy-go-lucky one of the two", Reddington said. "Cameron was more serious. And even more serious now, after Taylor's death.”

“I don’t know”, Ressler said. “Things could go wrong.”

“Things can always go wrong”, Reddington said. "Where's your sense of adventure, Donald?" Ressler frowned, and Reddington turned to the group. “This is the best shot we have. And this is for Dembe.”

“But you said Dembe doesn’t even know about this”, Ressler said.

“Correct, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it”, Reddington said, then looked around the room. “Dembe has done more for me than anyone. And he’s done good for you, too. This is the least we can do.”

“We’ll be fine”, Liz said, then looked at Samar, who nodded. “For Dembe.”

“For Dembe”, Aram repeated, and Ressler nodded in acquiescence.

“Alright”, Cooper said. “Aram – call Georgetown. Tell them we need to borrow the diamond collection. Ressler – you’re on point for tonight at the museum. Bring a team and collar whoever shows up to steal the diamonds. You two”, Cooper said, pointing to Liz and Samar, “Start reading up on diamonds. You’re going to need to know them very well. And work on your cover story. You’re going to need to know that very well, too.” He looked at everyone and then said, “Alright – let’s get to work.”

 

********

 

“Did you know, the value of a diamond is not just in the size, but the cut?” Liz said. She and Samar were sitting side by side in a small office, reading up on diamonds and working on their cover story. She looked up at Samar and raised her eyebrows.

“How interesting”, Samar said and smirked. “So what’s more important to you? Size or cut?”

Liz paused her reading, then put her chin on her hands, looked up at Samar and leaned in a bit closer. “Hmmm…cut”, Liz said, looking directly into Samar’s eyes.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind for what I get you when I propose”, Samar jested, her tone of voice slipping into their cover story charade.

“Well…I do like size too…babe”, Liz said back, slipping in as well.

“Noted”, Samar said. The two women stared at each other for a moment, then Samar dropped the charade and turned serious. “You sure you’re good with this?” Samar asked Liz.

“Good with what? Getting married someday?” Liz joked, still in charade.

“Going undercover”, Samar said.

“Yeah, sure”, Liz said, her tone back to serious. “You?”

“Yeah, I’m good”, Samar said. “Just want to make sure you’re comfortable with this, since, you know…I’ve done more undercover work.”

“I’ll be fine”, Liz said. “I mean, you’ll be there to protect me, right? As my partner…partner in more ways than one…future wife?” Liz said suggestively, slipping into their charade again.

Samar stared at Liz for a moment, then leaned in closer. “Yes, I’ll be there to protect you, my love”, she said, returning the charade, and smiled sweetly at Liz, who smiled back.


	3. Chapter 3

“Who are you, and how did you find me?” Cameron asked.

“We’re Bonnie and Clyde”, Liz said with a smile.

“Cute”, Cameron said and smirked.

“A friend gave us your contact”, Samar added coolly. After she and Liz had taken possession of the diamonds, Reddington had told Liz and Samar how to get in touch with Cameron. Now, they were standing in a warehouse in northeast D.C., ten feet away from Cameron and her security detail. The security detail had their weapons drawn.

“What are your names?” Cameron asked.

“Lia”, Liz said.

“Sammie”, Samar said.

“Okay, Lia and Sammie, arms up”, Cameron said. Liz and Samar obeyed, and Cameron motioned for her security to frisk them.

“Aren’t you pretty”, one of the guards said to Liz, as his hands traveled down Liz’s torso.

“Careful”, Samar said to the guard, warning in her voice.

“What did you say?” The guard said. He stopped frisking Liz and got in Samar’s face.

“Hey”, Liz said. She smiled at the guard and then put her hand on Samar’s chest and gently pushed her back. “Babe, it’s okay”, she said to Samar. “We’re here to do business, not get into a fight, okay?” At that, Samar smiled slightly at Liz and nodded her head. Liz gave her a cute peck on the cheek and then grabbed the bag of diamonds from Samar. “Here”, she said and started walking towards Cameron.

“Stop”, one of the guards said to Liz.

“It’s okay”, Cameron said to the guard, having relaxed a bit at watching Liz and Samar’s interaction. She stepped forward and took the bag from Liz, then looked in. “Very nice”, she said, then looked up. “So, how’d you do it?”

“We put our right foot in, and our left foot out”, Liz said, doing the Hokey Pokey, then she walked back to Samar and leaned into her chest.

Adorable, Cameron thought, looking at Liz. She’s the carefree one. Like Taylor used to be. “You know, I sent someone to pick these up”, she said, waving the bag. “Same day as you took them, actually. You wouldn’t happen to know where they are, would you?”

“No idea”, Samar said coolly, staring at Cameron. “Didn’t know you had sent someone else. We must have beat them to the punch.” In reality, the two thieves who Cameron had sent had been scooped up by Ressler and were now in FBI custody.

Cameron appraised Samar. The serious one. Like me, she thought, then said, “And you just happened to pick the same day that I did to go after these, huh?”

“Pure coincidence”, Liz said with a happy shrug.

“Hmmmm…” Cameron said. “And why did you guys contact me? I mean, why not just take the merchandise and disappear? It’s a good chunk of change.”

“We’re looking for employment”, Samar said. “We figured if we gave you these, maybe you’ll give us some jobs.”

“Girl’s gotta have a hobby”, Liz said with a smile.

“We like working”, Samar said. “And we don’t really have the connections to unload this stuff. At least not the right way.”

“Yep, we’re just starting out”, Liz said. She smiled at Cameron and then looked up at Samar. “Building our future together”, she said, nuzzling into Samar’s chest.

Cameron looked at the two thieves in front of her and smiled slightly. “Why diamonds?”

“Because diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, Liz said, touching her ears to point out the diamond earrings she was wearing, then she pulling out a necklace from under her shirt. A diamond encrusted pendant sat on a white gold chain. She kissed the pendant and smiled at Cameron.

“She loves diamonds. Size and cut”, Samar said with a lightly deprecating smile about Liz to Cameron.

“Hopefully you’ll put one on here someday, babe”, Liz said to Samar in a flirty tone of voice, waving the ring finger on her left hand. Samar smiled at Liz, then touched her finger lightly to Liz’s nose.

Cameron studied the pair in front of her. They reminded her so much of Taylor and herself when they were younger. And they were into diamonds. And just starting out. She could mold them into valuable members of her growing business venture. She stared at the couple in front of her and then said, “Are you up for a party?”

 

********

 

After the meeting, Liz and Samar drove away in Liz’s car towards her apartment. Samar dialed the team and put them on speakerphone.

“Nice work making the connection”, Cooper said. He and the rest of the task force had been listening in through a wire in Liz’s diamond earrings.

“So, what’s next?” Aram asked.

“Liz and I should go to this party that Cameron invited us to this evening”, Samar said.

“And where are you headed now?” Cooper asked.

“We’re going to my apartment”, Liz said. “Don’t worry, we won’t come in to the Post Office, in case we’re being followed.”

“From here on out, until this is over, we’re going to do what’s best to keep up the appearance of us being a criminal smuggling couple”, Samar said.

“Okay, wear comms for the party, keep us updated”, Cooper said, then hung up.

“Want to come to my place?” Liz asked Samar. “You can help me pick out an outfit for tonight”, she said, then smiled.

Samar smiled back. “Sure. But I need to get one for myself too.” 

“So, stop at your place first, then?”

Samar was about to say yes when she looked in her side view mirror. “We’ve got a tail. Black Audi, three cars back.”

“I won’t be able to shake them without arousing suspicion”, Liz said.

Samar thought for a moment, then said, “You won’t have to. Let’s have them follow us.”

“What?” Liz asked. “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to take you shopping”, Samar said, then slipped into charade and added, “my love”. She smiled at Liz, who smiled back, then Samar said, “take a left up here. We’re going to Betsy Fisher.”

“Oooohhh”, Liz said, then smiled and hit the gas.

 

********

 

Liz and Samar spent the afternoon shopping, making sure to hold hands as often as possible. After two hours of Liz trying on outfits in Betsy Fisher they grabbed a cup of coffee and sat outside, Samar pulling out Liz’s chair for her and kissing her before she sat herself. They stayed conscious the whole time of the tail, who were no doubt reporting back to Cameron. After coffee they went to Samar’s apartment to change. While there, they received a text telling them that a car would be sent for them to take them to the party. Samar was hesitant to comply, since that would limit their options to leave, but Liz convinced her that playing along was the best option, and that refusing the car service may draw suspicion.

Now they were standing in the large foyer of Cameron’s mansion. A huge spiral staircase led up to the second floor. To the left was a large dining room and the kitchen. To the right was what looked to be a study and small library. Past the large foyer was the main living room, and beyond that a set of double doors led out to a large back yard. A string quartet played on the mezzanine. A server walked by and handed Liz and Samar each a glass of wine. A dozen or more other servers bustled about, tending to the hundred or so guests. 

“Welcome, ladies”, Cameron said as she strode up. “Well, don’t you look lovely”, she said to Liz.

“Why thank you”, Liz said. She was wearing a red spaghetti strap dress with matching red heels, a white leather belt, diamond earrings, and her diamond necklace. She did a slight twirl and cute curtsy and smiled widely.

“You’re just happy-go-lucky, aren’t you?” Cameron beamed at Liz, then turned to Samar. “And you, the serious one, with the serious outfit.” Samar was wearing a form-fitting black and silver top, black leather belt, black leather pants, and black leather boots. She smiled slightly at Cameron and raised her glass in acknowledgement. “What a lovely couple”, Cameron said.

“Thank you for having us”, Samar said.

“Enjoy the party, we’ll catch up in a bit”, Cameron said.

“Thank you”, Liz said again as Cameron departed, then looked up and around. “Wow, this place is amazing”, she said in character, then turned to Samar, smiled and grabbed her hand. “Let’s explore, babe.”

“Of course, my love”, Samar said and smiled back. The two of them spent the next hour walking around the main floor and the back yard, by all appearances a beautiful young couple enjoying the party, all the while getting the lay of the land and reporting back through their comm mics to the team at the Post Office. Then they tried to walk up the main staircase to the upstairs.

“Stop right there”, a security guard said. “Where are you going?”

“Oh, um…we were just exploring. First time here. I wanted to see the bedrooms”, Liz said. She smiled at the guard and leaned into Samar.

“She likes bedrooms”, Samar said to the guard suggestively.

The guard stared at them for a moment and then smiled faintly. Not a threat, he assessed. “Sorry, but you can’t go upstairs. You need to stay on the main floor and in the back yard.”

“Okay, we’re sorry”, Liz said and smiled again, then she and Samar walked back towards the main area to the living room. They ditched their empty glasses on a passing server’s tray, and then Liz put her arms around Samar’s neck and leaned in close as they started swaying to the music. “You guys getting everything?” she said softly, speaking through comms to the team, who were in a van two blocks away.

“’She likes bedrooms?’” Aram repeated what Samar had said to the guard.

“I do like bedrooms”, Liz said back, then looked at Samar and winked.

“Laying it on thick, are we?” Ressler said.

“Selling it appropriately”, Samar returned, staring into Liz’s eyes, then smiled. She took a quick glance around and noticed eyes on them, so she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Liz’s lips.

“Was that kissing I just heard?” Aram asked.

“Selling it appropriately”, Liz giggled, repeating what Samar had said.

 

********

 

“Uh oh – we have a problem”, Aram said. “Comms just went out.”

“Sounded like water right before they went out”, Ressler said.

“We gotta go get them”, Aram said.

“No wait – Samar said to let it play, no matter what”, Ressler said, then looked at Cooper.

“Let it play”, Cooper said. “If they don’t resurface by tomorrow, we’ll go in and get them."


	4. Chapter 4

“There’s my new favorite couple”, Cameron said smiling, walking up to Liz and Samar as they danced. “Come girls – let’s chat”. She led them to the study and closed the door. 

“Wow”, Liz said, running her fingers across the large oak desk and looking around at all of the books. “You have an amazing house.”

“Thank you”, Cameron said. “One day maybe you can have a place just like it.” She paused and then said, “But not if you get on my bad side”, she said.

“Wait – what?” Liz said, surprised, as two of members of Cameron’s security detail walked into the room. 

“What’s going on here?” Samar asked.

“One of my guards said you tried to go upstairs”, Cameron said.

“We were just looking around”, Liz said.

“She wanted to see the bedrooms. She likes bedrooms”, Samar said to Cameron, nodding at Liz.

“Sneaking around my house, are you?”

“What? No, not at all”, Liz said.

“Who are you two?” Cameron said, and motioned to her security, who stepped forward.

“Babe, what’s going on?” Liz said, stepping behind Samar, letting worry creep into her voice.

“I’m not sure, my love”, Samar said, then turned her attention to the two security men and spread her arms in a defensive position, “but you’d better not come any closer.”

“Babe…” Liz said nervously, hands on Samar’s back.

One of the security men took a step closer and reached out to Samar. Samar grabbed his hand and bent his wrist backwards. He screamed, and then Samar hit him with a vicious palm strike in the nose, and he went down. The other security guard came at Samar and swung, but Samar blocked the blow, put him in an armlock, pivoted her weight, and threw him across the desk. She looked over at Liz to make sure she was alright, and then looked over at Cameron, who hit a button the wall, and a moment later two more security guards entered. They looked at their fallen comrades and drew their guns.

“Whoa, easy”, Samar, moving in front of Liz. “We don’t want any trouble.” When Cameron didn’t say anything, Samar said, “Your men came at us.”

“You know, I see a lot of me in you”, Cameron said to Samar. “And you’re just like Taylor was, my partner, my deceased wife”, she said to Liz. “You guys are just like we were. Maybe a little too much. Seems just a little too perfect. I mean, shortly after I decide to get into the diamond business, and I’m thinking about expanding my team, you two show up, in fact the very day I send some folks after the Georgetown diamonds, and you managed to snatch them right before they did. You’re exactly what I’m looking for, and you remind me so much of Taylor and me. It’s all somehow just too…serendipitous.”

“I love that movie…Serendipity”, Liz squeaked out meekly, trying to ease the tension.

“Seems like you two were trying to steal something”, Cameron said.

“No! Please, I just…I just think your house is amazing”, Liz said. “I grew up poor. I’ve never been anywhere so nice. I just wanted to see it. Really, that’s all.”

“Look”, Samar said, “I understand you don’t know us, but I’m telling you, we’re just two girls, starting out, trying to make our way through life. That’s all. If you want us to leave, we’ll leave, right now, and you’ll never see us again. If you want to search us or whatever, to put your mind at ease, that’s fine, we won’t put up a fight.”

Cameron stared at Liz and Samar for a moment, then said, “Search them”, to her guards. The guards searched Liz and Samar, who were thankful they had gone to the bathroom and flushed their comms down the toilet before Cameron had taken them into the study.

“This one’s clean”, the guard who searched Liz said.

“So is this one”, said the guard searching Samar.

Samar looked over at Liz, who still looked shaken, and pressed a kiss to her lips. “It’s okay, my love”, she said, then she looked at Cameron and arched her eyebrows. “I told you, we’re clean. If we were cops, do you really think we’d come in here without wires?” When Cameron didn’t answer, Samar said, “Like I said, we’re just two girls trying to make it in this world. I’m sure you remember what it was like starting out yourself, yes?”

Cameron stared at Samar for a moment. This Sammie woman loves her Lia, and she’s willing to protect her, she thought. Just like I would have done for Taylor. And I do remember what is was like just starting out, Cameron thought, Taylor and me, living together in a one-bedroom apartment together, taking whatever jobs we could find. She stared at the couple for a moment longer and then said, “You sure you weren’t trying to steal anything from here?”

“We weren’t, I swear”, Liz said, eyes big. “I just…I just really like your house, and I just really wanted to see the bedrooms”, she said with a small smile.

Cameron stared at her for a moment and then smiled slightly in return and lowered her gun. “Well then, I guess I can show you to your room”, she said to Samar and Liz, then turned to the man who had searched Samar. “Get these two checked out”, she said, motioning to the two men Samar had put down, who were still on the ground, groaning. “You – come with us”, she said to the man who had searched Liz.

 

******** 

 

“You’ll be staying here”, Cameron said, as she opened the door to a spacious bedroom. A king-size bed sat in the middle of the far wall. A large ornate dresser and vanity set sat on the left wall. A large desk sat on the opposite wall. Two oversized chairs sat in the far corners of the room. Plush curtains covered two large full-pane windows. “This bedroom has its own bathroom, complete with a whirlpool tub”, she said, pointing to a door on the right-hand side of the room. Another door on the wall opened into a walk-in closet.

“Wow”, Liz said, back in her happy character, “This is amazing!”

“Indeed”, Samar said, then turned to Cameron. “Thank you for letting us stay the night. We can leave in the morning.”

“No”, Cameron said.

“I’m sorry?” Samar said.

“You’ll be staying here if you work for me”, Cameron said. “Starting now.” She motioned to the security guard who had followed them. “Give him your phones”, she said.

“I’m sorry?” Samar said, reaching for her phone in her back pocket.

“I said, give him your phones”, Cameron said again, and Samar sent a quick text behind her back.

“But I need my phone”, Liz said. “I play games on it.”

“We can find you something else to pass the time, dear”, Cameron said. “Plenty of books in the study.”

“Well, can I at least call my brother?” Liz asked. “I don’t need to tell him anything, but he’ll worry if he tries to call me and doesn’t get a hold of me and doesn’t know where I am.”

Cameron stared at Liz for a moment and then nodded slightly.

 

********

 

“I just got a text from Samar”, Ressler said. “It says, ‘Play along no names’.”

“What does that mean?” Aram said.

“I don’t know, but now Keen is calling me”, Ressler said. He answered and was about to say “Keen“, but then stopped himself and said, “Hello?”

“Hey big bro, it’s me Lia.” Liz said, as Aram set up signal in the van so he and Cooper could hear what was being said.

“Uh, hey Lia…little sis…what’s happening?”

“Well, um…I got a job, so I may be gone for as bit, and I’ll be hard to get a hold of, but um… I just wanted to tell so you wouldn’t worry if you tried to call me and I didn’t pick up.”

“Okay, uh, thanks…but you’re okay? Everything’s okay?” Ressler asked.

“Yeah, yeah, everything is great, just wanted to let you know. I’ll call you when I get back.”

“Okay, take care…sis.”

“Okay, bye Danny”, Liz said, and hung up the phone.

“Well, she didn’t sound distressed”, Aram said.

“Cameron is probably making Liz and Samar ditch their phones. My guess is they may even have to stay with Cameron in her house until the next job is over”, Ressler said.

“So, this may be the last contact we have with them until…who knows…?” Aram asked.

“That’s correct”, Cooper said. “We’ll just have to let it play. Aram – start erasing their phones now, in case Cameron checks them.”

“But they’ll need a few numbers in there to look real”, Aram said.

“Of course. So put in a few. Have them routed back to the office and set up a switchboard to route to us. We’ll use code names - Danny, Aaron, Carl, etc. I’ll let Reddington know.”

 

********

 

“So, you have a brother”, Cameron said, as she took Liz’s phone.

“Yep.”

“Does he know what you do?”

“I told him I work cargo on planes for commercial flying and also movie location scouting, so I’m always traveling.”

“Clever”, Cameron said, then turned to Samar. “I assume he’d miss you if you somehow disappeared?” she asked, trying to feel Liz out.

“I don’t plan on disappearing. Except with this one, for our honeymoon, once she marries me”, Liz said, looking at Samar and smiling.

Cameron smiled at Liz and then looked at Samar. “You need to call anyone?” 

“No”, Samar said, handing over her phone. “She’s the only family I have”, Samar said, looking back at Liz.

“How romantic”, Cameron said and smiled again.

“What about clothes?” Samar said. “Much as I love leather, you can’t expect me to wear this same outfit every day.”

“We’ll get you a whole new wardrobe tomorrow”, Cameron said. “Speaking of tomorrow, we start at 9am. Coffee will be outside your room when you wake up, with some new clothes. We’ll work out of this house, and we won’t be leaving it until we go to the job site. Understood?”

“I think so”, Liz said.

“What’s the cut?”

“Twenty percent of whatever we take”, Cameron said. When Samar didn’t respond, Cameron said, “trust me – you’ll be happy with the money, especially for two girls just starting out.”

Samar stared back at Cameron, and then said, “Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you”, Liz said.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight, unless you need something to sleep in”, Cameron said.

Liz looked at Cameron, then looked at Samar, and then looked back at Cameron and smiled. “Noooo…I think we’ll be fine”, she said, then flashed a mischievous smile and pulled Samar towards the bed.

“Goodnight, ladies”, Cameron said, as she and her guard headed out of the room. Liz and Samar smiled at her, and Cameron pulled the door shut.

“Look at this room, babe!”, Liz said.

“It’s lovely”, Samar said, walking around, pretending to marvel, looking for places where cameras and bugs might be hidden.

Liz came over to her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s check out the bathroom”, she said, then pulled Samar over. They went into the bathroom and turned on the whirlpool tub faucet. “Wanna take a bath?” Liz asked with a smile, then wrapped her arms around Samar’s neck in case there was a camera on them. “Cameras? Bugs?” Liz whispered as softly as she could, but just loud enough over the faucet so Samar could hear.

“Probably”, Samar whispered, smiling back, “but we won’t be able to tell without a thorough sweep, and that will raise suspicion."

“Agreed. So, we keep up the charade even in here to be safe”, Liz whispered.

Samar nodded her head and smiled back, but then frowned and said louder, “You know, I have a bit of a headache, and I’m actually pretty tired, my love. Is it okay if we save this for another night?”

“Awwww, babe”, Liz said, frowning. “I was looking forward to having you hold me in your arms in the tub.”

“I can do that in bed”, Samar said. “There will be plenty more days to use the tub.”

“Alright”, Liz sighed theatrically. She gave Samar a quick kiss on the lips, then turned off the tub water. The two women walked out of the bathroom, then removed their clothes down to their underwear and climbed into bed. Samar reached over to turn out the light on the nightstand next to the bed. She pretended to look for the switch, and that’s when she felt the bug. She thought about dismantling it but decided to leave it in play, so she just turned out the light and settled into bed. Liz curled into her, and she wrapped her arms around Liz and kissed her head.

“Sorry you have a headache, babe”, Liz whispered and raised her head up a bit. Moonlight came through the window, slightly illuminating the room just enough for her to see Samar.

“I’ll be fine. You know how I get those, when we start a new job”, Samar said back. “But you’re very sweet to mention it.”

“Good night, babe”, Liz said.

“Good night, my love”, Samar said back. She tilted her head a bit and gave Liz a quick kiss, then settled her head back down.

Liz nestled her head back into the crook of Samar’s neck, thinking. It was a dangerous game they were playing, enemy eyes on them constantly, no comms to the outside. But they needed to keep up the cover, and she needed to find a way to communicate with the dark-haired beauty sleeping next to her. And then Liz thought…dark-haired beauty…a thought that had been entering into her mind more and more lately. She wasn’t exactly sure when it started or why, but it had. And yes – at present they were acting, undercover, but that’s part of why she had taken this assignment. She was curious, curious of her feelings towards Samar, and she wanted to test them in an environment where they could simulate being in a relationship. And, if she was to be completely honest with herself, it didn’t feel wrong. There was something there. Of course, Samar was stunning – tall, long wavy hair, and gorgeous eyes – but they’d been working together for a while, and only recently had this attraction on her end come up. Maybe it was the closeness in which they’d been working. Feelings can happen between co-workers, especially in stressful situations. Maybe it was the fact that it had become clear that Tom and she were never going to be able to make it work. Or maybe it was the fact that Samar was strong, brave, smart, and loyal. She had stood in front her when the security guards had rushed the room, and even though it had been part of the charade, it had still made Liz smile inside that Samar had protected her. Samar was everything Liz admired and wanted in a partner. Not to mention stunningly beautiful. Again, with the beautiful thing, Liz thought. And she would have never pictured herself in this situation, feeling the way she did, but yes, there is definitely something there. They were playing, but it felt right to call Samar 'babe', and to hear Samar call her 'my love'. And, if her profiling skills were what she thought they were, there was something on Samar’s end as well. She hadn’t said anything, and they hadn’t spoken about it, but she was sure something was there, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

“We leave in a few days”, Cameron said. She, Liz and Samar were in the study, going over the smuggling plan. Liz and Samar had woken up to fresh coffee and a full set of new clothes waiting outside their bedroom door.

“Leave?” Where are we going?” Liz asked.

“Sierra Leone”, Cameron said. “Diamond country.”

“We don’t have passports”, Samar said.

“You won’t need one, because we’re not really going to be there”, Cameron said with a wink. “We fly in to Freetown on a private plane. Once we touch down, we will drive to the sellers. The mine is a couple hours away. We’ll travel with the payment, which we will exchange for the product.”

“I didn’t know we needed to go anywhere”, Liz said, putting on a bit of worry for show.

“Smuggling is different than just stealing out of the local museum, dear”, Cameron said. “We need to go out and get the product, then bring it back. That’s how it works.”

“It’ll be fine, my love”, Samar said to Liz, then turned to Cameron. “Who’s the seller?”

“The PFP - People’s Freedom Party. They’re kind of like the Revolutionary United Front, who are one of their rivals”, Cameron said. “They’re one of a bunch of factions warring over control of the mines in the region."

“Have you bought from them before?” Samar asked.

“You ask a lot of questions”, Cameron said, narrowing her eyes.

“Just want to learn”, Samar said, and smiled.

“Yes, I have bought from them before, but we are upping the quantity this time, and there have been reports of skirmishes in area”, Cameron said. “So, we’ll need options in case things go south. And having you two along broadens our options.”

“Understood”, Samar said. “However we can help.”

“What happens after we make the buy?” Liz asked.

“We head for Freetown Port and leave on a freighter. It’s the safest option. We’ll be back state side in under a week”, Cameron said.

“Customs?” Samar asked.

“Won’t be an issue. Port has lax security. That’s why we come back by boat and not plane”, Cameron said.

“Then what?” Samar asked.

“Once we’re back, we offload the product, I set up buys with my customers, and when they pay, you get paid”, Cameron said.

“Sounds wonderful”, Liz said, smiling.

Cameron smiled at Samar and Liz, then turned serious. “Have you two ever shot a gun before?”

“Yes”, Samar said.

“I figured you had, seeing the way you handled my security guards the other night”, Cameron said to Samar. “I’m more asking about you”, she said to Liz.

“I can shoot if I need to”, Liz said. “I’m not just a pretty face”, she said, then smiled.

Cute again, Cameron thought, but she needs to focus. Sometimes Taylor had trouble focusing, too. “You may need to”, Cameron said. “Of course, I’m hoping for smooth sailing, but you never know…” Cameron said.

“We can handle ourselves”, Samar said.

“Good”, Cameron smiled. “We’ll keep working out the details for the next few days. You’ll stay here until we leave. We have plenty of food, drinks, and entertainment, but I’m supposing you two can probably entertain yourselves”, she said with a suggestive smile. 

“Can we go for a run outside? Or maybe get a cup of coffee?” Liz asked.

“We have a workout room here and plenty of coffee”, Cameron said.

“I know, but I just get…you know…cabin fever sometimes”, Liz said.

“She doesn’t like being cooped up”, Samar said. “Look, I understand the caution, but I have to take her out on at least one date, or she’ll make my life hell”, she said, then smiled slightly.

“Please…?” Liz looked at Cameron, a pouty look on her face.

Cameron stared at Liz and Samar for a moment. “Fine. Tomorrow you two can go for a short run and a coffee. There’s a coffee shop a couple of miles away. It’s my favorite place in town. You can run there, have coffee, and come back. That can serve as your one date before we leave”, Cameron said.

“Thank you”, Liz said, and Samar smiled.

“You’re welcome”, Cameron said. “Now, let’s get back to planning.”

 

********

 

“We need to find a way to get word to the team”, Liz whispered, leaning back into Samar’s neck. She and Samar were in the tub, whirlpool jets running. Samar was holding Liz in her arms from behind, Liz nestled between Samar’s long legs. 

“I know, I just don’t know how”, Samar whispered back.

“Think they’re watching the house? Maybe they’ll see us leave when we go on our date”, Liz said, and then smiled at the thought of a date with Samar, even though they were just undercover and it wasn’t really a date, and she was sure that Cameron would have them followed.

“I hope they’re watching. Because I don’t know how else to get a hold of them.”

“Think we can take out a camera and a bug in here?” Liz asked. “We need to be able to talk freely.” She and Samar had identified two cameras, both in the lights, and two bugs, one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. “Plus, we need to be able to say we’re…you know…”

“Know what?” Samar asked.

“That we’re…you know…making love, without actually having to do it”, Liz said, then wondered what it would be like to make love with Samar.

“Hmmmm…” Samar said, thinking the same thing to herself…”Might raise suspicion, but you’re right. Not making love will raise more suspicion.”

“Maybe we can disable the surveillance in one room and then just plead that we want at least a bit of privacy?” Liz suggested.

Samar thought for a moment. “I guess that could pass”, Samar said. “We’ll dismantle the camera and mic in the bathroom”, Samar said, then stood up and reached for the bug in the light.

 

********

 

“We’ve lost track of Navabi and Keen”, Cooper said to Reddington.

“What happened, Harold?” Reddington asked.

“They ditched their comms at the party. They may have been worried that Cameron would search them.”

“That was yesterday. We need to go in and get them.”

“Navabi said let it play, no matter what happened. We’ve had teams watching since we lost communication with them. That was two days ago. So far, no one has left the house.” Cooper had initially planned on going in the day after they lost communication, but Samar had been clear about letting it play, and no one had left the house, so he had held fast. 

“Keep watching, Harold. Let me know when anyone leaves.”

 

********

 

“Feels good to be out”, Liz said, as she and Samar jogged along a road towards the café.

“It does, even with watchers trailing us”, Samar said. Cameron had put a security detail on them for the duration of their outing.

“Kinda ruins the mood”, Liz said, and Samar laughed. She and Samar weren’t sure if there was audio on them, but they didn’t want to take the chance that Cameron’s security detail was employing a parabolic mic, so they stayed in character. They reached the coffee shop and walked in. It was pretty empty except for a couple with a baby at a table up front, a man in jeans and a hoodie sitting at the counter, and Ressler, sitting at a table by himself near the back. Liz and Samar ordered coffee and sat down.

“I like this place, babe”, Liz said, sipping her coffee, looking around.

“I’m glad, seeing as it’s our only date until we leave”, Samar said, looking around as well. She noticed a folding metal gate that pulled over the front windows. It looked more like something at a pawn shop or a jewelry store, not a coffee shop.

Liz smiled and stared into Samar’s eyes for a moment, then noticed Ressler get up and walk into the bathroom. Samar saw it too, and a moment later, Liz said, “I need to use the bathroom, babe”, then got up, gave Samar a quick kiss, and headed towards the bathroom. Ressler came out and Liz went in. On the sink was a phone. A moment later it rang.

“Keen”, Ressler said. “You guys okay?”

“We’re fine”, Liz said. “Where are you?”

“Heading out of the coffee shop and to my car. We’ve been watching the house and saw you guys leave for a run. Figured this might be our only chance to make contact with you.”

“We’ve been under house arrest since we arrived. This is our one outing out before we leave.”

“Leave?”

“We leave the country in a couple days”, Liz said.

“What? Where to?”

“Sierra Leone. That’s where Cameron is getting the diamonds. She buys them from the People’s Freedom Party and then bring them back on a freighter. We’re flying out on a private plane in two days.”

“We’re not authorized to operate overseas.”

“I know, but we leave soon, so if you’re worried about jurisdiction, you need to pull us out soon. But I don’t want to do that. Let us stay undercover, and then we can bust them when we get back, product in hand.”

“Hang on”, Ressler said, and Liz assumed he was running that up the flagpole. “Okay…you guys can stay under. But be careful.”

“We will.”

“When you hang up toss the phone in the trash. The man in the jeans and hoodie who was sitting at the counter will retrieve it. He’s with the Bureau.”

“Copy that”, she said and hung up the phone, then threw it in the trash. She came out of the bathroom and nodded a friendly hello to the man in the jeans and hoodie, who was waiting to use the bathroom, then rejoined Samar at the table.

“Ready to get going?” Samar said. “I’m sure Cameron wants us back soon.” In reality Samar wanted to hear what Liz and Ressler had spoken about.

“Sure”, Liz said. She got up and then said, “God, I’m sweaty. Bath together? When we get back…?” she said suggestively, wanting to get Samar and her to a place where she could fill Samar in on her conversation with Ressler.

“Sounds wonderful, my love”, Samar said, then smiled, leaned into Liz and gave her a kiss.

 

********

 

“Ressler says be careful”, Liz said. She and Samar were in the bathroom. They had dismantled the surveillance, so they no longer needed to bathe together, but were running the water for cover just to be sure. “I don’t think he or Cooper wants us to go out of country, but I told him to keep us under, and then we can bust Cameron when we get back with the diamonds.”

“Makes sense to me”, Samar said.

Liz stared at Samar for a moment and then said, “You’ll look after me, won’t you, babe”? She knew they weren’t being watched anymore since they had dismantled the surveillance in the bathroom, but she still said it, to test the waters. And, if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn’t have minded getting back into the tub with Samar.

“Of course, my love, I will look out for you”, Samar said. She smiled back at Liz. She didn’t know why, or when, but somehow, lately, she’d been thinking about Liz more and more. Liz was smart, talented, and excellent at her job. And she was the strongest person Samar knew. To have been through everything that she’s been through…most people would have crumbled by now. Yet here she was, not only still alive, but thriving. And she was a good person. Sometimes it was hard to find the goodness in their work, Samar thought, but Liz had it. Maybe that’s what she liked the most about the beautiful brunette curled up into her. And, if Samar was being honest with herself, she’d been liking it lately how Liz called her ‘babe’. Yes, it was a charade, but it still felt good to hear the word leave Liz’s lips. And their kisses…yes, they have been for show, but they didn’t feel wrong. Again, it was a charade, and she knew that, but she was getting tired of living charades, both for the job and outside of it. Her thing with Ressler had been just a fleeting moment, and she knew it wouldn’t last. Plus, he'd sucked in bad, she mused, and then continued musing: maybe Liz was better. Maybe one day she would find out. And as she stared at the beautiful agent standing next to her, she thought: someday, maybe soon, she could find out if there was something with her and Liz, without the charade they were currently living.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later the Gulfstream soared across the Atlantic at 35,000 feet. Inside were Cameron, five members of her security detail, and Liz and Samar.

“I noticed it’s been quiet in bathroom the last couple of days before we left”, Cameron said, sitting at a table across from Liz and Samar.

“We dismantled the camera and bug”, Samar said. “We need a little privacy.” When Cameron didn’t say anything, Samar said, “Look – I know we’re new, but still, I – well, we – don’t feel right being intimate with other people watching and listening.” Cameron continued to stare, so Samar said, “If you don’t trust us by now, when will you?”

Cameron looked at Samar for a moment and then said, “That’s fair. But just know that our safety measures are for the good of all of us. Next time ask me before you do something like that.”

“Okay – sorry”, Liz said with an apologetic smile, and Samar nodded.

"So, we land in a few hours. Cars will be waiting for us to take to the sellers. Once we arrive, I will do the talking. You guys watch and learn. Understood?” Liz and Samar nodded, and then Cameron said. “When we’re done with the exchange, we’ll load up the product and head for port. If for any reason something goes wrong, and we get split up, make sure you’re not followed, then meet back at the plane, and we’ll high tail it out as quick as possible, diamonds or no diamonds. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am”, Liz said, and Samar nodded.

“Remember – we’re smuggling, not stealing. Museums have alarms, but our sellers have guns. And machetes. Stay quiet and stay alert. And don’t get cute”, Cameron said looking at Liz. “These guys won’t care how adorable you are, and you won’t be so adorable if they chop your arms off.”

“Yikes”, Liz said, alarmed.

“Don’t frighten her”, Samar said to Cameron.

“Just a friendly warning”, Cameron said back.

Liz turned to Samar. “You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you, babe?” she asked, her eyes big.

“No, my love, I won’t”, Samar said, then smiled and touched her finger gently to Liz’s nose. At that Liz smiled back, then yawned.

“Tired?” Cameron asked Liz. “I figured you’d be too nervous to sleep.”

“Flying makes me tired”, Liz said, snuggling into Samar’s side.

“Well, get some rest. I need you sharp when we hit the ground”, Cameron said, then got up and walked over to talk to her men.

“Hey”, Liz whispered, eyes closing, pretending to be sleepy but mentally going over scenarios in case things went wrong.

“Hey”, Samar whispered back. She tilted her head down and gave Liz a quick kiss on the top of her head, aware that they were being watched, then settled back into her seat.

 

********

 

“Colonel Mbo”, Cameron greeted her contact from the People’s Freedom Party. The smuggling team had picked up two Range Rovers at the airport and were now under an open-walled tent at a diamond mining site deep in Sierre Leone. Standing around Colonel Mbo were half a dozen armed PFP soldiers. Another hundred were in the camp, along with the workers mining diamonds.

“Ms. Cameron”, Colonel Mbo said, then looked at Liz and Samar. “I see you have added some members to your team.”

“Business is growing”, Cameron responded.

“So it appears. As is ours”, Colonel Mbo said. “You have the money?”

Cameron nodded and motioned to her men. They hoisted up three metal suitcases and put them on a table, then opened them to reveal ten million dollars.

“Very nice”, Colonel Mbo smiled. “This will go a long way to help our efforts.” He motioned to his men, who opened up a suitcase full of diamonds. “Satisfied?” he asked Cameron.

“Looks good, Colonel”, Cameron said and took the suitcase.

“Well, now that business is done, can I interest you and your pretty associates in a drink?” Colonel Mbo offered.

“No thank you, Colonel. We’d better get moving”, Cameron said. “We have a plane to catch.”

“Plane?” Colonel Mbo said and raised his eyebrows. “Not the safest way to travel with this product. I assumed you would be taking a ship.”

Cameron stared at Colonel Mbo for a moment and then smiled slightly. “Let’s go”, she said to Liz, Samar and her security, and they started to head to their cars when they heard shouts and gunfire.

“What the hell is that?” Cameron said, as she, Liz, Samar and the security detail drew their weapons.

“RUF”, Colonel Mbo said. “They are coming to try to take the mine.”

“Dammit, seriously!” Cameron swore. She had been hoping to not get caught in a turf war today.

“Let’s move”, Colonel Mbo barked, and he and his soldiers fanned out as RUF jeeps entered the mine, soldiers piling out of the cars, guns blazing. Liz, Samar, Cameron, and the security team ran for the cars.

“Shit” Cameron said and ducked for cover as bullets whizzed by her. The team crouched down behind a short stone wall. “We gotta get to the cars”, she said to her team.

“Go! Take the front car and get out of here. We’ll cover you!” Samar yelled. Cameron and four of her security detail headed to the vehicles as Samar, Liz and the remaining security guard returned fire at the advancing soldiers. Cameron’s party made it to the vehicles, thirty feet away, gunning down some RUF soldiers in the process. Cameron and three of her guards piled into the front car, started the engine and took off, and the remaining guard went into the other car. He started the engine and waved to Liz, Samar and the remaining guard.

“We gotta get over there”, Liz said as bullets whizzed by them. The soldiers were advancing.

“Let’s go” Samar said. “Stay behind me”, she said to Liz.

“Wait-” Liz said, but Samar was already advancing. She raised up from her crouching position and fired. Two soldiers went down. The security guard was right behind her, firing as well. Liz brought up the rear. They ran for the car and were ten feet away, when Samar spotted two soldiers coming in from the side.

“Shit, we’re getting flanked!” she shouted. “Get in the car!” she told Liz and pushed her into the back seat. The security man continued to fire at the soldiers coming head on, and Samar pivoted to her left and started firing. Her bullets found a home on the first soldier, but the second solder fired and caught Samar in the left arm.

“Fuck!” Samar screamed. She dropped her gun and clutched her arm as she reached the car.

“Samar!” Liz screamed. She leaned out of the car and shot the soldier who had shot Samar, then pulled Samar into the car next to her. The security guard fired three more rounds, putting down the soldiers advancing head on closest to the car, then hurried into the front seat. “Let’s go!” Liz shouted, and the driver hit the gas. “Oh my God, babe”, she said, looking at Samar, remembering to take character, but at the same time thinking even among the chaos – it felt right, to call her that. She looked at Samar’s arm and then put her hand over the wound. 

“Report”, Cameron’s voice came over the two way radios the security guards were carrying.

“Sammie’s been hit”, the security man in the front passenger seat said into his radio. Then he glanced into the rear view mirror at Liz. “Or is it Samar?”

“What?” Cameron’s voice said.

“We need to get her help!” Liz exclaimed, in part to draw attention away from the fact that she had called Samar by her real name.

“I’m okay”, Samar said, through gritted teeth.

“Let’s get to the ship right away”, Cameron said. “There’s a medic onboard.”

“Won’t the RUF follow us?” the driver asked.

“No. They’re not law enforcement”, Cameron said. “They want the mine. They don’t care about us.”

“You’re losing blood”, Liz said to Samar. She ripped off her shirt and then started to tie a tourniquet above the wound.

“It’s okay”, Samar said, starting to get light-headed. “The bullet made a clean exit.”

“Step on it”, Cameron said, as the two Range Rovers sped off towards the port.

“Hang on, babe”, Liz said, holding her hand to Samar’s wound and cradling Samar in her other arm.

“It’s okay, my love”, Samar said. She was losing consciousness but somehow was staying in character, and as she slipped into darkness, she thought – it was surprisingly easy, even with a gunshot wound, to find her character when it felt right to call Liz that.


	7. Chapter 7

“Babe…” Liz said.

Samar opened her eyes. “My love”, she said, then tried to sit up.

“Shhhh…don’t”, Liz said, putting her hand on Samar’s chest. “Just rest”, she said.

Samar settled back down, then looked around as her eyes adjusted to being open. “Where are we?”

“On the freighter”, Liz said.

“How long have I been out?” Samar asked.

“Two days”, Cameron said, as she strode in with the medic.

“You lost some blood”, the medic said to Samar, “but the bullet made a clean exit. I sterilized your wound, gave you a transfusion, and some morphine. Best thing for you to do now is just rest. If the pain returns, let me know and I can give you another dose”, he said, then left the room.

“Did we get the product?” Samar asked.

“Yes, we did”, Cameron said. “And aren’t you a trooper – shot in the arm, and still thinking about the job.” She looked at Samar and then Liz. “Thanks for covering me back there”, she said, and Samar and Liz smiled. Cameron stared at Liz and Samar for a moment and then said, “I’ll give you two some alone time”, and left the room.

“How do you feel?” Liz asked.

“My arm hurts, but other than that I’m okay.”

“That was close”, Liz said.

“Yes, it was.”

“You went first, to cover for me. And you pushed me in the car first when we got flanked.”

“And I’d do it again”, Samar said. “And you saved me.”

“And I’d do it again”, Liz said. She smiled slightly, then ran her fingers through Samar’s hair. It felt right, she thought, what she felt right now: concern for her lover who had been shot.

Samar smiled back. "Come here", she whispered, and with her good arm guided Liz down onto the bed.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Liz asked, as she sunk into the bed next to Samar, her arm wrapping around Samar’s chest. “I don’t want to hurt your arm.”

“It’s okay, my love”, Samar said, putting her good arm around Liz. “I just want to lay here with you”, she said, as she closed her eyes, she again thought – it feels right to call her ‘my love’.

 

********

 

Two days later, Samar was on the deck of the freighter. She was sitting on a stack of crates, staring into the nighttime sky. Yesterday they had traveled through a light storm, but tonight the sky was clear and the air was calm. There were stars. Lots of them. Samar didn’t often look at stars, but this is nice, she thought.

“Hey you”, Liz said, walking up.

“Hey”, Samar said back. She scooted back so her back was against a wall, and Liz sat down on the crate Samar was sitting on, slightly in front of her.

“How are you feeling?” Liz asked.

“Better, thanks.”

Liz smiled and then said, “Well, we’re almost home…tomorrow.”

Samar smiled back, then looked up at the stars. “Look at all of these”, she said.

Liz looked up. “Wow”, she said. She paused for a moment and then said, “This is amazing, babe.” She was pretty sure they weren’t under surveillance, but she had ‘babe’ anyway, without thinking.

Samar caught it and smiled slightly. “I never look at the stars, but…it’s nice.”

“It is”, Liz said, still looking around. She smiled at Samar, and then looked back up. “Cassiopeia”, she said, pointing.

“Vega”, Samar said, pointing.

“Scorpius.”

“Cygnus.”

“You know some stars”, Liz said and smiled, then looked back up. “Orion.”

“So do you”, Samar said, and smiled back. “Ursa major.”

“Ursa minor.”

“Aquarius”, Samar said, pointing, slightly brushing Liz’s hair.

“Okay, I’m out”, Liz said, smiling. Samar smiled back, and then Liz shivered slightly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just caught a chill”, Liz said.

“Here”, Samar said. She spread her legs and patted the area between them. Liz looked at her for a moment, and then settled into the space and leaned back against Samar. Samar wrapped her arms around Liz and nuzzled into the back of her hair. “Warmer?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Liz said. She put her arms over Samar’s and then stared out into the dark ocean.

“It’s funny, how we forget…in this thing that we do…about the little things that make life worth living”, Samar said, staring back up into the sky.

“It is”, Liz said. She paused for a moment, and then said, “Hey Samar? I, uh…” Liz turned around in Samar’s arms and suddenly she was faced to face with the Samar, their lips just inches apart.

“Yes, my love?” Samar said, staring at Liz with her smoky gaze, then traced her finger lightly down Liz’s cheek.

“I, um…” Liz said. She paused, and then leaned forward and pressed her lips against Samar’s.

 

********

 

Liz and Samar were lying naked on the bed in their sleeping quarters. Liz was on her side, nestled into Samar, Samar’s arm wrapped around her.

“Hey”, Samar said to Liz, and softly kissed the soft skin of her neck.

“Hey”, Liz said, then shifted her position so she was facing Samar. She opened her eyes a bit and lifted her head up slightly and met Samar’s half-open eyes. “What time is it?”

“Sometimes in the night, I think”, Samar said. After she and Liz had kissed on the deck, they gone right to their room, clothes dropping on the floor as they walked.

“Soooooo…we weren’t acting, right?” Liz asked. Liz and Samar had checked for surveillance in their room and had found none.

Samar stared at Liz for a moment and then said, “No. At least I wasn’t.”

Liz smiled at her and then said, “Me neither.”

They laid in silence for a moment and then Samar asked, “How did you know?”

“How did I know what?”

“That I would kiss you back.”

Liz gazed at Samar and then said, “Because if you had kissed me, I would have kissed you back.”

Samar smiled, then said, “You could tell…that I’ve fallen for you?”

“I’m a profiler, babe”, Liz said jokingly.

Samar smiled back and then leaned in and gave Liz a kiss. Liz returned the kiss and then moved so she was lying on Samar’s chest, her legs straddling Samar’s hips. She stared at Samar for a moment and then kissed her again. “This is dangerous”, she said, her lips lingering just above Samar’s.

“The mission? Or us?” Samar breathed out.

“Both”, Liz said.

“Then we’ll need to be careful”, Samar said, then smiled slightly.

“Yes…we should be…careful…” Liz said, smiled slightly back, and went in for another kiss.

 

********

 

Cameron sat in her quarters, staring at the suitcase full of diamonds, thinking. That had a been a close call. She had anticipated the possibility of gunfire, but if Sammie and Lia hadn’t covered for her, she might not have made it out alive, or at least unharmed. Yes, smuggling diamonds was profitable, but it was also dangerous, more dangerous than smuggling other products. Maybe she should stick to smuggling the goods she already had routines for. She had trusted contacts, and the jobs were less dangerous. Or maybe she should just get out altogether. Taylor wouldn’t have gone into diamonds. Maybe Reddington was right – take the money and get out. Go to Bali, spend her time in the beach bungalow. But if she was going to do that she’d need to make sure she could disappear. This had been a big job, and it would eventually attract attention if she didn’t cover her tracks. Word always got around. Then she thought about Lia and Sammie. In the melee of their escape, one of her security men had said something about ‘Samar’. What was that? Was that Sammie’s real name? If so, was she really who she said she was? Then, Cameron thought: was Lia? And as she thought some more, she concluded that she needed to get out. Now. She needed to get out now and cover for herself, and there was really only one way to do that. She stared at the suitcase for another moment and then picked up the satellite phone in her room and dialed a number.

 

********

 

The freighter pulled into port just after midnight, and the team offloaded with the diamonds.

“Okay, we’re going to split up", Cameron said. "We have three cars. You three”, she said to three of her security guards, “come with me in my car. “You two”, she said, pointing to her two other guards, “will take that car”, she said, pointing to the car closest to the port gate exit. “And you two”, she said, pointing to Liz and Samar”, “take that car”, she said, pointing to a car near the bow of the freighter right next to the wharf. “Keys are in the glove box. We’ll meet back at the house in one hour. Make sure you’re not followed.” Liz and Samar nodded, and the crew dispersed to their cars.

“Now what?” Liz asked, walking to their car.

“Not sure, but we can’t call the team because we don’t have our own phones, and we can’t just go to the Post Office because the car might be on a tracker”, Samar said. “Think for now, we’ll have to play along and wait for the right opportunity to make contact.”

“Okay”, Liz said. They reached the car and got in. Liz opened the glove box and found the keys. She handed them to Samar, who was in the driver’s seat, and was about to close the box when she saw a small satchel. “What’s this?” she asked, almost to herself, as she opened the satchel.

“What is it?” Samar asked, as she inserted the key into the ignition.

“It’s diamonds. A small amount”, Liz said.

“Why would Cameron leave a small amount of diamonds in this car?” Samar said, as she started the ignition. The car turned over but didn’t start. “Damn”, she swore.

“What’s going on?”

“The car won’t start.”

“Great”, Liz said, sarcastically. She looked at the diamonds again as Samar tried to start the car, and then her eyes went wide. “Wait, Samar! Don’t start the car!”, she yelled. Samar stopped turning the key and looked at Liz, and that’s when she and Liz both heard a soft click, like a latch engaging, and a hissing sound. “We need to get out!”, Liz yelled, as Samar’s eyes went wide. They jumped out of the car and started to run, and they got about three seconds away when the car exploded, sending both of them flying off the dock and into the water.


	8. Chapter 8

“Liz!” Samar screamed, paddling frantically. She looked around and saw Liz, twenty feet away, face down in the water. “Oh my God”, she said, paddling over. She turned Liz over so she was facing upright and did a cursory scan. Liz wasn’t breathing. “Hang on, my love”, she said. She cradled Liz in one arm and side stroked with the other arm to the wharf. With a superhuman effort she hoisted Liz onto her shoulder and then climbed the ten ladder rungs up to the landing, then laid Liz face up down on the wharf. “C’mon!”, Samar said, as she started to administer CPR. Ten quick pumps on the chest. 2 breaths of mouth to mouth. Repeat. She went four go-arounds with no response. “Shit”, Samar cursed. She looked around and spotted an old pay phone next to a warehouse dock. “Hang on, my love”, she said to Liz, then picked her up and carried her over to the phone. She set Liz down, then picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Post Office”, Aram answered.

“Aram, it’s me.”

“Samar? Where are y-”

“We need help. Liz is unconscious. We’re at the Port of D.C., Terminal 7, for international freighters.”

“What’s going on?”

“Send the team and an ambulance. I’ll explain later”, Samar said.

“Okay, I’m sending Ressler and a team now.”

“Hurry!” Samar said. She hung up the phone, then turned her attention back to Liz. “C’mon”, she said, as she administered another round of CPR. Nothing. “C’mon”, Samar said again, desperation creeping into her voice. She tried another round, then another. “Goddamit”, she cursed, then bent over Liz and cradled her in her arms. “Hang tight, my love”, she said. Tears started forming in her eyes. “C’mon, c’mon’, c’mon”, she said, then tears turned into anger. They were just getting started, she and Liz, and now she’s being taken away from me, Samar thought. She set Liz back down and pounded on her chest. “C’mon!” she screamed, as she continued pounding. Ten seconds later, Liz coughed up water. “Oh my God”, Samar said. She put her ear to Liz mouth. Liz was breathing. Shallow breaths, but breaths nonetheless “Oh my God”, Samar said again, tears of happiness forming in her eyes. She cradled Liz’s head in one hand and put her gently on Liz’s chest. Liz barely opened her eyes and started to speak, but Samar put a finger to her lips. “No, just be quiet, my love”, she said, and held Liz as she waited for help to arrive.

 

********

 

Ressler, and Aram were standing in the hallway outside of Liz’s room. They were in a hospital near the port.

“How is she?” Cooper asked about Liz as he strolled up.

“She just woke up”, Ressler said. "Doctor says she’ll be okay.”

“How is Agent Navabi?” Cooper asked.

“Physically she’s okay, but she seems really upset", Ressler said. 

“She hasn’t left Liz’s side”, Aram said.

“Okay, we need to talk with them”, Cooper said. He started to reach for the door when Aram stopped him.

“Sir – Agent Navabi asked for a few minutes alone with Agent Keen…if that’s okay...sir", Aram said, and looked into the room at Samar. She was sitting by Liz’s bed, holding her hand. Aram didn’t think he’d ever seen Samar so upset. Cooper quirked an eyebrow but then nodded.

 

********

 

“Hey you”, Samar said as Liz opened her eyes.

“Hey”, Liz said, groggy.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay. Sore. And my lungs hurt. What happened?”

“The car Cameron set us up with exploded”, Samar said. “We were both blown into the water.”

Liz nodded, then looked at Samar. “Are you okay?”

“Yes”, Samar said, then added, “I was further away. But you were knocked unconscious.”

“And you saved me…babe”, Liz said.

Samar stared at Liz. She wanted so badly to kiss her right now, but she was aware that the team was watching, so she continued to just hold her hand. “And I’d do it again, my love”, Samar said back, then smiled. Liz smiled back, and then Samar said, “I really want to kiss you right now.”

“I really want you to kiss me right now”, Liz said back.

Samar stared at her, wishing they were alone, then exhaled and flicked her eyes up towards the door. "The team is here, if you’re ready to speak with them.”

“Okay”, Liz nodded, wishing the same, and Samar motioned for the team.

“How are you feeling?” Ressler asked.

“Okay”, Liz said.

“Glad you’re okay, Agent Keen”, Cooper said. “Fill me in, I want to know everything”, he said, and Liz and Samar filled him in, Samar doing most of the talking.

“We need to get those diamonds, before they disappear”, Ressler asked.

“I think I know where they are”, Samar said and stood up, letting go of Liz's hand, “but we have to move quick.”

“Okay”, Liz said, sitting up.

“You're not going anywhere”, Cooper said to Liz.

“But-” Keen started to say, but Copper cut her off.

“No buts, just stay here. You need to rest”, Cooper said.

Samar bent over and took Liz’s hand again. “It’s okay, my love", Samar said, and Ressler, Cooper and Aram looked at each other. "I know you want to come, but Cooper is right - you need to rest. Please, stay here”, she said. Liz stared at Samar for a moment, then exhaled, and nodded her head slightly. Samar smiled at her and then kissed her forehead, then stood up, as the team quirked eyebrows at her. “Let’s go”, she said to the team.

 

********

 

“Freeze!”, Samar said, as she, Ressler and the raid team stormed the café she and Liz had been to the week before. 

Cameron looked up from counting diamonds and froze. “Sammie”, she said, then smiled slightly. "Or is it Samar?"

“Special Agent Samar Navabi of the FBI”, Samar said, then moved around Cameron's back to put handcuffs on her. “Cameron Hall, you’re under arrest.”


	9. Chapter 9

“One last thing”, Cameron said after signing a full confession and sliding it across the table to Ressler. “I’d like to speak with Agent Navabi.” Ressler nodded, took the confession, then stood up and walked out of the room.

“She wants to speak with you”, Ressler said to Samar, who was watching the interrogation through the mirror glass. Samar nodded and then headed into the room.

“I’m sorry about the car”, Cameron said, as Samar walked in.

“You tried to kill us and frame us for the diamonds”, Samar said as she sat down.

Cameron nodded. “I hated to do it, but after the shootout in Sierra Leone, I wanted out, and I needed a way to cover my tracks.” She sighed and then said, “Taylor was right – I should have never gotten into the diamond smuggling business.”

“You should have listened to Reddington”, Samar said. 

“Yes, in retrospect I should have, and I hate to admit that he was right. But sometimes you learn things the hard way, I guess”, Cameron said. She paused, then asked, “How is Lia?”

“Her name is Liz, and she’s okay, no thanks to you,” Samar said.

Cameron nodded and then said, “Do you love her, Samar?”

“I’m sorry?” Samar said.

“Do you love her? Or was that just part of your cover?”

“That’s none of your business, and I don’t need to answer that.”

“You’re right, you don’t, but I’m just curious”, Cameron said. “C’mon – what’s the harm in telling me?”

Samar stared at Cameron for a moment and then said, “Yes. I love her.”

Cameron stared at Samar and then smiled slightly. “I thought so. I’ll be honest, I was never quite sold on you, especially after I heard your name was Samar, not Sammie. But, I could tell you love Liz. That’s something you can’t fake, real love.” She stared at Samar for another moment and then asked, “I’m curious – did you fall in love on my op, or before?”

Samar stared at Cameron and then said, “I had feelings for Liz before your op, but it’s during the op that I fell.”

At that Cameron smiled. “Well, at least something good came out of all of this”, she said, and at that Samar cracked a small smile. Cameron stared at Samar for a moment and then said, “Listen, I know I’m going away, and what I’m about to say may not matter, but let me give you one piece of advice – don’t let true love get away. It’s the only thing that matters in this world. I know because I had it. And if it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that no amount of money can replace that. You know, Taylor and I…we grew our business into millions, but we never were happier than we were when we were just starting out, living in our one bedroom apartment, scraping for jobs, and all we had was each other.”

“I’ll take that advice”, Samar said, then smiled slightly. “But you tried to kill Liz, and that's something I can’t take.”

Cameron sighed with honest regret. “I know. And I’m going away for it. That and a litany of other things.”

“Well, you’re going to a minimum-security facility, per a deal we made with Reddington”, Samar said. “But if it was up to me, you’d be spending the rest of your life in a federal penitentiary.”

“I know. But either way, I’ll be off the streets,” Cameron said as consolation.

Samar stared at Cameron for another moment and then stood up, “Goodbye, Cameron.”

“Goodbye, Samar”, Cameron said. “And take care of her”, she said, referring to Liz.

I will”, Samar said, then walked out of the room. 

 

********

 

After Cameron was interrogated she was placed in a windowless prison transport van. Now, they were humming along the road, when all of a sudden, the van came to a stop.

“What’s happening?” Cameron asked the guard who was sitting in the back with her.

“Wait here”, the guard said. He stood up and opened the back of the van, and Cameron found herself staring right into the face of Raymond Reddington.

“Cameron!” Reddington called out. “We need to talk.”

“Raymond…” Cameron breathed out, surprised. “Who…where…what is going on here?”

“Well, you’ve got a choice to make, right now, Cameron”, Reddington said, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a white envelope. “I’ve got a plane ticket to Bali for you, or”, he said, and from behind Reddington, Dembe Zuma stepped forward, a pistol in his hand. He cocked it and pointed it at Cameron. “So, what’s it going to be, Cameron?”

Cameron stared at Reddington, then at Dembe, then back to Reddington. “I…you were right, Raymond, all along.” She sighed and then said, “I should take a vacation.”

“A very long vacation”, Reddington said, as he escorted Cameron out of the van. “In fact, a permanent vacation, unless it’s me who calls you for work”, he said, then guided Cameron out of the van and into his car.

 

********

 

6 months later

“That was wonderful. Thank you”, Liz said. She and Samar had just eaten a candlelit dinner at Fiola Mare, an upscale Italian restaurant, and were now walking along the Potomac River.

“Glad you enjoyed it”, Samar said, taking Liz’s hand.

They walked in silence for a bit, and then Liz asked, “Do you ever think about it?”

“Think about what?”

“The Cameron Hall job.”

“Mmmmm…no, not really”, Samar answered. In reality, she had been thinking about it a lot, for a very specific reason.

“Me either, but sometimes I do. Like when I look at the stars, when I actually have a minute to myself.”

“Or a minute together?” Samar prompted. She and Liz had found a charming two-bedroom apartment together and had moved in two months ago.

“Yes, that too”, Liz said and smiled coyly.

At that, Samar stopped walking, faced Liz, and planted a tender kiss on her lips. “Here, let’s sit for a moment”, Samar said, and guided Liz to a nearby bench. They sat down, and then Samar looked up. “Wow, look up, my love.”

“Whoa”, Liz said. “The stars are out tonight, babe.”

“Just like they were that night on the freighter. The night of our first kiss”, Samar said. At that Liz smiled, and Samar leaned in and gave her another kiss.

“This is just amazing”, Liz said, looking back up. “You know, I remember having a thought that night, babe. I was looking up at the stars, there on the freighter, and I thought, well, this is so silly, but I remember thinking about wishing upon a star, you know how people do that, and I remember thinking that, well, maybe one day, you woul-” she said but stopped mid-sentence.

“Yes, my love?” Samar, who had gotten down on one knee, said. 

“Samar…what…?”

“What am I doing?” Samar asked, and Liz nodded. “Well, I, too, had a thought that night, on that boat. I thought that, one day, I would someday propose to the woman I’ve fallen in love with.” She smiled and then produced a small decorative wooden box. She opened it up, and inside was a one carat diamond, set on a diamond-encrusted white gold ring.

“Oh my God…babe…” Liz breathed out.

“By the way, in case you’re wondering, it’s clean”, Samar said, trying for a light joke to ease the seriousness of the moment. Liz let out a single laugh, tears forming in her eyes. “So, you asked me if I ever think about that job. Honestly, I have been, but really for only one reason: because that’s the job on which I truly fell in love with you.”

“Me too”, Liz choked out.

“And, well, also, I gained some valuable diamond knowledge, which really came in handy when I bought this. I learned that both size and cut are important”, Samar said with a smile.

“Oh my God”, Liz said, again.

Samar smiled back, then took a deep breath. “Wow, I’m nervous”, she said. “I don’t know why this seems harder than getting shot at, but anyway, here goes: Elizabeth Keen – you are beautiful, intelligent, driven, kind, loyal, and sweet. Well, at least to me you are”, Samar said and smiled. Liz smiled back and wiped a tear away, and then Samar said, “In short – you are the most amazing woman in the world, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Us, together.” She paused, took a deep breath, and then said, “My love – will you marry me?”

“Y-y-yes!”, Liz choked out, and at that Samar exhaled and smiled, as tears formed in her eyes as well. She took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Liz’s finger.

“It’s beautiful, babe”, Liz said, turning her hand, the ring sparkling it in the pale night light.

“I’m glad you like it”, Samar said.

“I love it”, Liz said, then cupped Samar’s cheeks in her hands. “And I love you, babe”, she said. She stood up, bringing Samar with her, then wrapped her arms around Samar’s neck and planted a deep kiss on her lips.

“And I love you”, Samar whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know there's not a lot of Lizvabi fans out there, but for those who are, I hope you enjoyed the story. Mahalo and fond aloha.


End file.
